I dragged a chair to the door, guarding against a breach and keeping Claire in sight.
Time crawled by.
“What do you actually want?”
Noticing I still hadn’t acted, Claire shot me a wary look.
I didn’t answer. A suffocating silence fell.
There were still two hours left before the crime.
Online, countless commenters were cursing me.
“This scum even wished his parents dead. The sniper’s probably in position—put him down already!”
My information had been posted online, and soon my company called.
They said the company was being boycotted and, under pressure, they had to fire me.
Seeing that, Claire softened a little and whispered, “Let’s renegotiate the childhood engagement. But could you open the door or a window? I’m a woman—if people see me alone with you too long, my reputation will be ruined.”
I really couldn’t destroy her name.
But I also feared a sniper might take the shot the moment I opened anything.
Realizing I hadn’t harmed her, Claire kept talking. “I know you’re not a bad person. Let me go, okay? I won’t press charges. I’ll even give you some money.”
“And we really shouldn’t stay here.”
She truly was concerned about a woman’s reputation.